Many LGTBQ elders have a miserable Quality of Life.
A recent report found that LGBT elders tend to have more medical problems, higher poverty levels social isolation than straight elders. Loneliness and isolation among LGTBQ elders bring” elevated rates of depression and mood disorders, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcohol use and abuse, and suicide ideation and attempts, as well as psychiatric co-morbidity.” Same-sex partners are not allowed many of the resources afforded to spouses and biological family members during the aging process. LGBT elders tend to lack support from many mainstream aging programs such as senior centers and places of worship or they are afraid of the stigma and discrimination that could result from joining those programs.
Mainstream retirement communities often deny LGBT elder couples the right to live in them so they often continue to live on their own, even if they need access to the services offered by those communities. These elders may fear discrimination and be ostracized by housing staff and often stay in the closet to obtain housing. Because large numbers of gay elders choose to live alone, they have fewer opportunities for social interaction than their heterosexual peers.
Geriatric Care Managers and Aging Life Professionals can use quality of Life Activities to bring back joy to LGTBQ seniors. Here are five resources.
Use Reminiscence Therapy
As a result, many LGBT elders live in the community and can really benefit from the quality of life activities that geriatric care managers can bring into the home through a personal assistance service and reminiscence therapy
Arrange dinner parties and Outings for Emotional QOL
One LGBT program in California created social connections through arranging dinner parties, shopping trips, and grocery shopping.
Finding activities that help elders grow and nurture their emotional, intellectual, physical, and/or spiritual quality of life can help to nurture an older person’s whole life and bring back joy. For example, look at this youtube on an older woman who reconnected with art, which is her talent and spirituality and younger people plus her family, through a quality of life assessment.
Create LGTBQ Quality of Life in Assisted Living
But what about the quality of life for LGBT aging clients. This recent article in the New York Times shows how one retirement community responding and found joy for LGBT clients, where many LGTB aging clients have to fight for acceptance.
Read Journal Of Aging Life Issue on LGTBQ ELders
If aging life or geriatric care manager want to find resources for LGBT aging clients or more about their issues, The Journal of Aging Life Care has an article with many resources to help you serve these vulnerable clients in finding Joy and acceptance.
The Journal Of Aging Life has a resources list for a research tool for aging LGBT clients In the article below By Jennifer Crittenden
Read Handbook of Geriatric Care Management QOL Resources
The Handbook of Geriatric Care Management 4th edition has a seminal chapter written by geriatric care manager Nina Herndon with a quality of life assessment to help you pinpoint the quality of life needs of all clients.
Use Nina Herndon’s Joyful Moments Activity Kit
Nina also has developed the first activity kit for the quality of life, Joyful Moments .
Care Managers can use this activity kits to develop quality of life activities with their clients and home care and care managers that have home care can utilize the kit to teach their careproviders tocreate quality of life activities that give seniors they serve Joy in addition to care ‘
them and feel their pain. So ask a few introductory questions to find that link. What do they need as a caregiver to end their pain- not just help their parent but end their suffering as a caregiver? Show them you are there for them as adult children and caregivers and ” will” do what they need to help them.
Show how you are a personal concierge for them. Will you communicate with them one to one- write monthly reports, email when you need their approval, call if there is an emergency, handle the emergency and be in touch as frequently or within the boundaries they wish and you offer. Explain you will take over negotiating the care needs so they go back to just being the daughter or son. Show you have a menu of services ( not just assessment) and you have the exact step by step product they need. If they are exploring moving a family member, you have a” Move Mangement “product. If their loved is facing dying you have an “End of Life” services. If the client’s loved one moved to Assisted Living and hates it, you have an “Assisted Living” service. With items to offer like these, all of a sudden you really start to stand out and you set the standard for comparison with other firms.
cards to offer one lonely senior a visit, a ride, a chance to interact with another person. This exhibit will travel counties throughout California through other art museums, spreading the message that lonely isolated seniors need help- through the message of art. The exhibit was spearheaded by Nina Simon who is now world famous museum director and author who builds and teaches community driven museums.
Make a playlist of their favorite 